1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to controlling appliances such as lamps, roller blinds or heating appliances adapted to assume a level selected from a range of levels.
It relates more particularly to a control device which includes a keypad representative of said range of levels to enable a user to select a level.
It also relates to a method of controlling a roller blind to move it from a current position to a target position using the control device and a user module for the device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A rotary dimmer including a potentiometer for varying the angle of opening of an electronic switch of a lamp is known in the art. The dimmer also includes an on/off switch for switching the lamp on and off.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,058 describes a lamp control device which includes a keypad with five keys, namely an on/off key and four level keys each of which represents one preset level of brightness of the lamp. The keypad is connected to a central processor unit and:
if the lamp is off and the on/off key is operated, the lamp assumes the brightness level that it had before it was switched off,
if the lamp is switched off and one of the four level keys is operated, the lamp assumes progressively all the intermediate brightness levels from the off level to the target preset level selected by the key operated,
if the lamp is on and one of the four level keys is operated, the lamp progressively assumes all the intermediate brightness levels from its current level to a preset target brightness level selected by the level key operated, and
if the lamp is switched on and the on/off key is operated, the lamp is switched off.
Apart from the fact that the control device is very complicated, it obliges the lamp to pass through intermediate levels before reaching the target level selected by the user.
This also applies to the conventional dimmer previously described using a potentiometer.
Compared to the above prior art, the invention proposes a new control device for an appliance adapted to assume a level selected from a range of levels enabling the appliance to access directly the level selected by the user from the keypad, without passing through intermediate levels, which makes use of the appliance safer by separating the control for switching off the appliance from the other controls.
The control device according to the invention includes a keypad representative of the range of levels to enable a user to select a level, an xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d key for switching off the appliance, and a processor unit connected to the keypad and to the xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d key, and in the device:
when the appliance is off and the keypad is operated to select a target level, the processor unit causes the appliance to assume the selected target level,
when the appliance is off and the xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d key is operated, the processor unit leaves the appliance switched off,
when the appliance is on and the keypad is operated to select a target level, the processor unit causes the appliance to assume the selected target level if that level is different from its current level, and
when the appliance is on and the xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d key is operated, the processor unit switches off the appliance.
Thus in accordance with the invention the off key of the control device cannot be used to switch it on, as is conventionally the case with control devices known in the art.
Preferably, in accordance with the invention, the processor unit includes means for monitoring separately operation of the keypad and operation of the xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d key.
The following are further advantageous and non-limiting features of the device according to the invention.
The device includes means for displaying the current level of the appliance connected to the processor unit.
The processor unit is adapted to maintain the display means active after the appliance is switched off to show the current level of the appliance before it was switched off.
Accordingly, when the appliance is switched off, the display means provide the user with an indication of the current level of the appliance before it was switched off and the user can operate the keypad if he wishes to switch on the appliance at that level or at a selected other target level.
The processor unit is adapted to place the display means in a standby state after the appliance is switched off.
The standby state of the display means consists of a reduced brightness of the display means.
The device includes means for displaying a change of level of the appliance.
The display means include at least one row of light-emitting diodes facing the keypad.
The display means include at least one row of bargraphs.
The device according to the invention advantageously includes keypad marking means. The marking means can intentionally be placed on standby, at a background level relative to the display of the current level or the target level for the appliance.
In one embodiment of the control device according to the invention the keypad has at least one touch-sensitive region provided with means for recognizing an area of the touch-sensitive region pressed by a finger and corresponding to the selection of a target level to be assumed by the appliance and the recognition means are connected to the processor unit which is adapted to determine from the recognized pressed area and to transmit to the appliance an appliance set point such that the appliance assumes the selected target level.
The touch-sensitive region comprises three subregions, namely:
a top subregion representing a top limit level assumed by the appliance,
a bottom subregion representing a bottom limit level assumed by the appliance, and
an intermediate subregion between the top and bottom subregions and representative of a range of intermediate levels assumed by the appliance between the top and bottom limit levels.
The recognition means of the touch-sensitive region are of the resistive type.
The recognition means include an open circuit whose terminals are connected to the processor unit and which is formed of two comb-like parts with substantially parallel resistive backs and interleaved conductive teeth, the touch-sensitive region being such that pressing a finger onto an area of the touch-sensitive region closes the circuit by virtue of contact between at least one tooth of one part with at least one tooth of the other part, the processor unit including means for reading off the value of the resistance between the terminals of the closed circuit, the resistance being representative of the area pressed, and means for determining from the resistance read off an appliance set point to be transmitted to the appliance so that the appliance assumes the corresponding selected target level.
In another embodiment of the control device according to the invention the keypad includes a movable button controlling a variable resistance, movement of the button corresponding to selection of a target level to be assumed by the appliance, and an xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d key connected to the processor unit and integrated into the movable button, the processor unit including means for reading off the resistance of the variable resistance when the xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d key is operated, the resistance being representative of the position of the button, and means for determining from the resistance read off an appliance set point to be transmitted to the appliance so that the appliance assumes the corresponding selected target level.
The processor unit includes means for determining a display set point from the resistance read off and means for transmitting the display set point to the display means to display the corresponding selected target level assumed by the appliance.
The control device according to the invention can include an external installation connected to the processor unit and adapted to supply a set point for selecting a target level in the range of levels to the processor unit which is adapted to transmit the set point to the appliance so that it assumes the selected target level if it is different from its current level.
In this case the processor unit includes means for controlling the priorities of information that it receives from the keypad and from the external installation so that the information from the keypad has a higher priority than the information from the external installation.
The external installation can be a meteorological station, a detector responsive to the presence of a person or a thermostat.
The appliance controlled by a control device according to the invention can be a lamp, in which case the levels assumed by the appliance are brightness levels varying between a bottom limit level corresponding to a minimum brightness and a top limit level corresponding to a maximum brightness, and the processor unit is adapted, when the keypad is operated, to determine a fractional brightness and transmit it to the lamp.
The processor unit is typically adapted to provide the lamp with direct access to a brightness level selected using the keypad.
The appliance controlled by the control device according to the invention can be a roller blind in which case the levels to be assumed by the device are positions of the blind varying between top and bottom limit levels corresponding to top and bottom end of travel positions of the blind and the processor unit is adapted, when the keypad is operated, to determine and to transmit to the blind an instruction to raise or lower the blind for a given time so that the blind reaches the selected position.
The processor unit determines the time for which the blind is raised or lowered by means of an initialization operation during which the processor unit causes the blind to move between the top and bottom end of travel positions, measures the time taken by the blind to perform the movement, and stores the measured time.
The processor unit advantageously includes means for storing the current level of the appliance, i.e. the current position of the blind, and, when a target level, i.e. a target position of the blind, is selected by operating the keypad, to determine and to transmit to the blind the instruction to raise or lower the blind for a given time so that it reaches the selected target position from its current position.
The expression xe2x80x9ccurrent position of the blindxe2x80x9d means either the time for the blind to move between its actual current position and one of the top and bottom end of travel position positions (referred to as the displacement time) or the resistance of the keypad corresponding to the current position.
The processor unit preferably includes means for moving the blind directly to its top end of travel position, respectively bottom end of travel position, if a target level is selected by operating the keypad that is above, respectively below, a particular top threshold, respectively a particular bottom threshold.
The processor unit can also include means for updating the displacement time of the blind for its entire travel if the blind reaches the top end of travel position, respectively bottom end of travel position, when the blind raising time, respectively the blind lowering time, determined by the processor unit has not totally elapsed.
A method in accordance with the invention of controlling a roller blind to move it from a target position to a current position, using a control device as defined hereinabove includes the following steps, starting from operation of the keypad:
a) determining the target position selected by operating the keypad,
b) determining the displacement time of the blind between its current position and the target position,
c) determining the direction of displacement of the blind, i.e. raising it or lowering it, for it to reach the selected target position from its current position,
d) raising or lowering the blind for the time determined in step b) so that the blind reaches the target position, and
e) storing the target position as the current position of the blind, in which method steps a) to d) are executed so that, if the roller blind is switched on and the keypad is operated to select a target position, the blind assumes the selected target position if it is different from its current position.
The method includes an initialization operation executed when the control device is switched on and which includes the following steps:
1) moving the blind to an end of travel position,
2) starting a timer,
3) moving the blind to an opposite end of travel position,
4) stopping the timer and reading off the time counted by the timer, and
5) storing the time counted by the timer as the displacement time of the blind for an entire travel.
In one preferred embodiment of the method, during the initialization operation, the blind is lowered to the bottom end of travel position in step 1), the blind is raised to the top end of travel position in step 3), and the displacement time of the blind for an entire travel stored in step 5) is a blind raising time.
A display set point is initialized during the initialization operation to display the top end of travel position of the blind.
In the method according to the invention, if the target position selected by operating the keypad is greater than or equal to, respectively less than or equal to, a top threshold, respectively a bottom threshold, the blind is moved directly to the top end of travel position, respectively the bottom end of travel position.
In the method according to the invention, if the blind reaches a top or bottom end of travel position in step d) before the time determined in step b) has totally elapsed, the displacement time of the blind for an entire travel is advantageously updated.
In one embodiment of the method according to the invention a resistance at the terminals of a resistive circuit of the keypad is read off in step a) and the displacement time of the blind as a function of its displacement time for an entire travel is determined in step b) from the difference between resistances read off corresponding to the current position and the target position and from the difference between resistances read off corresponding to the top and bottom end of travel positions.
In the method according to the invention, starting from the initialization operation, the displacement of the blind between its current position and the target position is displayed by successively turning light-emitting diodes on and off.
In accordance with the invention, the current position of the blind is displayed between two operations of the keypad.
When the keypad is operated, the target position is displayed simultaneously with the displacement of the blind.
The blind can be stopped at any time by operating the xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d key.
The invention also provides a user module for a control device as defined hereinabove, which user module includes:
an elongate touch-sensitive region constituting the control keypad of the control device,
an xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d key located near one end of the touch-sensitive region, and
means for displaying the current level and the target level of the appliance extending in a line along at least one longitudinal side of the touch-sensitive region.
According to other advantageous and non-limiting features of the module:
the display means extend from the xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d key to the opposite end of the touch-sensitive region,
the display means extend along both longitudinal sides of the touch-sensitive region,
the display means include at least one row of diodes regularly spaced along the touch-sensitive region,
the touch-sensitive region is subdivided into three subregions:
a top subregion representing a top limit level assumed by the appliance,
a bottom subregion representing a bottom limit level assumed by the appliance, and
an intermediate subregion between the top and bottom subregions and representative of a range of intermediate levels assumed by the appliance between the top and bottom limit levels,
the touch-sensitive region has means for recognizing an area of the touch-sensitive region pressed by a finger and corresponding to the selection of a target level to be assumed by the appliance and the recognition means are connected to the processor unit which is adapted, from the recognized pressed area, to determine and to transmit to the appliance an appliance set point such that it assumes the selected target level,
the recognition means of the touch-sensitive region are of the resistive type,
the recognition means include an open circuit whose terminals are connected to the processor unit and which is formed of two comb-like parts with substantially parallel resistive backs and interleaved conductive teeth, the touch-sensitive region being such that pressing a finger onto an area of the touch-sensitive region closes the circuit by virtue of contact between at least one tooth of one part with at least one tooth of the other part, the processor unit including means for reading off the value of the resistance between the terminals of the closed circuit, the resistance being representative of the area pressed, and means for determining from the resistance read off an appliance set point to be transmitted to the appliance so that the appliance assumes the corresponding selected target level,
the touch-sensitive region has substantially parallel conductive tracks extending generally transversely to and above the interleaved teeth of the two parts of the circuit and the conductive tracks are adapted, when a finger presses on the touch-sensitive region, to come into contact with at least one tooth of each of the parts of the circuit to close it at the level of the pressed area,
the touch-sensitive region has at one end, respectively at an opposite end, an indication for the user of the top limit level, respectively the bottom limit level, that can be assumed by the appliance, and
the xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d key is located near the end of the touch-sensitive region having the indication of the bottom limit level that can be assumed by the appliance.
The following description, which is given with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are provided by way of non-limiting example, explains in what the invention consists and how it can be put into effect.